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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24341281">R2J: a prologue</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmittyJaws/pseuds/SmittyJaws'>SmittyJaws</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>R2J AU [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Led Zeppelin, Queen (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Asexual Character, Gen, Other</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 07:29:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>964</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24341281</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmittyJaws/pseuds/SmittyJaws</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>oH mY gOD THEY WERE ROOMMATES.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>(briefly mentioned), Jimmy Page/Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>R2J AU [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1757326</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>R2J: a prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I'm finally getting around to crossposting these from my Tumblr! It's only been...5 months, for some of the oldest ones. Whoops XD</p>
<p>This is set in my R2J AU, which is Roger Taylor x Robert Plant x Jay Marin (my ace!OFC). Side mention of Jimmy Page x Blanche Avia (another OFC), but they don't show up much in this fic.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>THEN</b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>“If we’re talking about bets, I bet you couldn’t live together for 6 months without killing each other,” Blanche had declared, more than a little tipsy. “I’ve heard you all complain on one occasion or another about something you can’t stand to live with, and I know for a fact that those all overlap with things all three of you do. You’d never make it.” She snickered, elbowing Jimmy lightly at her joke as he rolled his eyes, but still snickered quietly in agreement.</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>“I could so live with them,” Jay had protested, frowning.</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>“You trying to say I can’t put up with them?” Roger folded his arms across his chest.</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>“It can’t be that bad, can it?” Robert had shrugged.</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>“You’re on,” they’d all declared, shaking on their agreement. “This’ll be fine.”</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>NOW</b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They’re one month into their… agreement with Blanche, and Roger is deeply regretting his decision. Robert likes to get up early, wandering around the flat and singing Elvis to himself, at an hour that Roger would prefer to be sleeping. Jay, by contrast, agrees with him about not being up earlier than needed, but will stay up late playing video games, and the walls are thin.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He knows he and Robert frustrate her in return by their frequency in entertaining company; Jay complains that though she stays up til all hours, she’s at least alone and barely a bother. Roger feels slightly guilty, but hey, it’s his life and his house too, and he’s got a right to bring friends or dates home as much as he wants, as does Robert. If Jay doesn’t want to have much company over, that’s her decision.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Meanwhile Roger is fully aware that he’s been dubbed a bit of a buzzkill for frowning on Robert’s enjoyment of weed, but it’s not like it’s his fault that the stuff doesn’t agree with him. Besides, the smell is somehow so much worse than regular cigs, and gets into everything. The others also don’t like his bad habit of tossing his dirty laundry all over the floor, but a shirt or two here and there isn’t going to kill them. He picks up when they have company over anyway.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Blanche was right; they’re going to kill each other.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>…wrong. Roger’s never lost a bet he wasn’t determined to win before, so he’s not giving up on this one. One of the others can cave, but not him. He’s just got to make it another five months.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>——</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Jay doesn’t know why she ever thought this was a good idea. Robert is impossibly chipper, Roger complains about everything, and Jay’s just internalizing everything as she plots out their untimely demises.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Okay, maybe she’s not <em>that</em> angry, but living like this is still annoying and she doesn’t like it. Robert has his weed, Roger has his cigarettes, and while she accepts that they’re adults with the right to choose what they intake, she hates the fact that the flat always smells. All of her clothes have a faint hint of the smell in them, and she laments that she’ll probably never get it out.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She knows she has her own faults; she’s far from perfect. But surely leaving dishes for a day or two isn’t as bad as the two of them clogging the shower drain with their hair? (And she knows it’s theirs — she’s definitely not shedding blond hairs all over)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Not to mention, this living arrangement hasn’t made it easy to date anyone. While she does appreciate the fact that it cuts down on the number of people who want to sleep with her (and therefore has to turn down), it’s decreased all of the chances she’s had for second dates. Meanwhile, the two of them are still hooking up like there’s no tomorrow, and Jay’s <em>maybe</em> a little resentful of them for it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Maybe she should quit while she’s ahead. Get out sooner than later before she does something she’ll regret, or ruins her friendships with Robert and Roger altogether.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>…oh, who is she kidding? She’s not giving up on this; stubbornness is her middle name. Jay’s going to keep this up, if only to rub it in their faces when she outlasts them both. Only five more months.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>——</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Robert’s tired.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Tired of Roger complaining, tired of Jay being cryptic and <em>not</em> complaining, tired of the bouts of passive-aggressiveness, tired of living in a place he feels as though he’s walking on eggshells in, just tired in general.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Why did any of them agree to this?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He misses living with Jimmy and Blanche sometimes; while Jimmy could be moody and Blanche skittish, it somehow wasn’t as bad seeing them be lovey-dovey together as it is listening to Roger and Jay bicker over what to watch on Netflix.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They all bicker, and it’s not even the affectionate “old married couple” kind of bickering; this is the “no holds barred, I will personally end you” kind of bickering, the kind that leaves an ugly taste in his mouth.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It’s that, or they just don’t interact with each other. The atmosphere is either that of a rampant war zone, everyone around and fighting; or of an isolated territory, everyone holed up in their rooms and silent.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It’s no way to live life, and Robert’s miserable.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Granted, there are good moments too (he’s trying to look on the bright side and find something positive in this situation, or else this will crush him), but things are uncomfortable here and he’s toying with just throwing in the towel.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He sighs. But if he gives up, then they’ll have to admit it was true; that they truly couldn’t push past this and find an understanding. Can’t they all just work for this common goal?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>…he can last another five months. Can’t he?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm also @smittyjaws on Tumblr!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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